Magkaiba ang interpretation natin sir.
The source of the difference is that I believe good works are necessary; but you believe good works are not necessary, because all we need is faith.
I will not attempt to convince you, I'll just present my side, and I will leave our members to decide on their own.
To our other readers, tanggap na namin ni sir dpogs na magkaiba talaga kami ng views sa issue na ito. We have both accepted that we will not be able to convince each other. Academic discussion na lang ito...
@Barrister: I think and i believe as of this moment you're still trying to be one of Jesuss' sheep, right - by following His commandment? are you following His commandment because you want to be one of His sheep or you follow His commandment because you are His sheep?
I believe we should continue following His commandments to remain in the flock. That's the big difference between our beliefs.
Your view is that once we are saved, we are always saved. No need to strive to keep His commandments because we automatically keep His commandments once we are saved. That's the OSAS (Once Saved, always Saved) doctrine.
But in the bible, it is possible to lose salvation if we do not keep His commandments:
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.Sabi nila, if you fall away, you were never really saved in the first place.
But the people in those verses already had salvation. They were enlightened, tasted of the heavenly gift, made partakers of the Holy Ghost, tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come. But they can still fall away, and if they do, it will be impossible to renew them again unto repentance.
Therefore, it is possible for one who had already been saved to lose it. That is why Jesus said:
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Lk. 9:23)Take up your cross "daily," or you might lose your salvation. You don't just have faith, then good works follow automatically without effort. Taking up the cross is a burden that is a daily, continuing struggle.
Jesus said "Come unto me" its a statement that what Jesus said is already completed doon sa cross... kung mapapansin natin ang "yoke" during Jesus time or during Bible times... designed ang yoke before for two cattle (ngayon kasi ang yoke para lang sa isang kalabaw)... noon ang usong yoke noon ay pang-dalawahang cattle ... something similiar sa baba
when you take Jesus yoke it is actually a partnership between you and God... because we really cant take our own yoke in short... we cant do any good by ourselves.... it is only by the power of God that we can carry the yoke...
Yung yoke for farming ay puwedeng single, or double, or more. Ang double ay may application sa bible; pero ang single ay may application din, depende sa context.
1. Example of a double yoke:
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14)When we say 2 animals are equally yoked, it means both animals on a double yoke are very similar in size, temperament and strength, so that a stronger puller does not drag the weaker and force it to walk faster than normal, and the weaker does not place an unnecessary load on the stronger who has to pull at the slower animal who can't keep up.
If you are a Christian, do not be yoked with unbelievers. It means you should not be in fellowship or partnership with unbelievers because they have nothing in common with you.
Paano kung best friend mo, business partner pa kayo, tapos gusto niyang mag casino, maglasing, at mag check-in ng pokpok pagkatapos. Hindi kayo magkakasundo. Or mahahawa ka sa kanyang mga kalokohan, bandang huli, ganon ka na rin.
Maliwanag na double yoke yan, like 2 oxen bound on a double yoke.
2. Example of a single yoke:
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Lk. 9:23)That's one person taking up his burden daily.
Ang Diyos yung amo, kaya Siya ang magbibigay ng yoke, ikaw ang kakarga.
Sa interpretation mo, double yoke, na ang Diyos ay pareho mo lang na kalabaw din, na kasabay mong humihila nang side by side.
when you take Jesus yoke it is actually a partnership between you and God... because we really cant take our own yoke in short... we cant do any good by ourselves.... it is only by the power of God that we can carry the yoke...
Our good works are useless without grace.
Bakit? Kasi naka-tatak na ang kasalanan natin. Magsisi ka man, gumawa ka man ag kabutihan, naka-tatak na rin yung kasalanan mo, kaya hindi mo mabubura.
With the sacrifice of Jesus, puwede ka nang maligtas. Puwede ka nang magsisi, burado ang kasalanan mo, be a new person, follow Christ, and you can still have eternal life. Tapos na ang mission ni Jesus; salvation is now possible. But it is now up to us to follow Him so that we can attain it.
Without His sacrifice on the cross, kahit ano gawin mo, impiyerno ka pa rin. With His sarifice, follow Him and you can be saved.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2: 8-9) Good works are always required. If you only have good works without Christ's death, it is useless. Impiyerno ka pa rin, kasi nga, existing pa rin ang kasalanan mo. But if you have good works plus God's grace through Christ's death, you can be saved.
That's how important Christ's sacrifice was. If you can be saved through your own works, then you can boast that you were saved without anyone else's help, including God's. The bible shows us that your own works without the gift of God is not enough to attain salvation.
That's how the verses should be understood. It does not mean that once saved, you are always saved no matter what you do, and good works are no longer necessary.
Sa katunayan:
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ... 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2: 20; 26)
